The Musician
Bong Lebowski is the live-coding project where Hindustani classical structure meets acid house and acid trance. Performed in real time using Strudel and TidalCycles, with Hydra and p5js handling live-set visuals. A separate daily pipeline ships one short pattern a day, a Hindustani raga, Carnatic melakarta math, or a tuning system outside the usual 12 notes to the octave, rendered with HyperFrames.
The name came from friends. They noticed certain qualities - the attitude, the one favourite drink, the way I dress - that matched The Big Lebowski. It wasn't a choice. It was an observation.
The music isn't a choice either. I'm a psychedelic rock fan who grew up hearing Indian classical influence in Western music - Ananda Shankar, The Beatles, Shakti. When I found acid was invented by an Indian playing raga over beats, the connection was already there. I just followed it.
The origin story
Five years of Mandolin, Hindustani classical, school concerts every year. Then a long gap while I figured out the rest of the world.
During Covid, I found live coding. SonicPi first - it was easier to set up, easier to start making noise. Then TidalCycles, because the flexibility rewards the learning curve. Then Hydra and p5js for visuals, because performing without something to look at felt unfinished.
The raga x acid connection wasn't something I invented. It's a lineage I followed: psychedelic rock had Indian classical influence for decades before I showed up. Acid was literally invented by an Indian playing raga over beats. I'm not building something new. I'm clearing levels in a game that already existed.
Raga roadmap
- Bhairavcleared
- Yamaneuphoric
- Darbari Kannadalocked
- Todilocked
Daily patterns
A different lane from the roadmap above: one short, automated pattern a day, rotating between a Hindustani raga played straight through, Carnatic math turned into rhythm, and tunings outside the 12-note grid entirely.
Tracks
- Acid Bhairav v1Raag Bhairav
Raag Bhairav worked through a 303 bassline: the first cleared level on the raga roadmap.
Embed pending - Raag Yaman (untitled, acid trance)Raag Yaman · 140 BPM
Raag Yaman at 140 BPM: the euphoric second level.
Embed pending
Performances
Not actively gigging right now, though the daily patterns above still ship every day. Have performed before - including the New Moon concert on Metaverse in 2022, when performing on a virtual stage was still a novelty act.
Previous level. Future levels.